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QUICK CHAT WITH ILLSTRTD

Since coming across illstrtd’s new single, Wings featuring vocals by New Haven, I haven’t been able to turn it off. I’ve been blasting it on my walk to the beach, softly playing it as my man and I watch the sunset and posting it to most all of my social music platforms. Essentially, every moment has been the right moment to indulge in Illstrtd’s euphoric sound. The 22-year-old breakout artist is signed under Be Rich Records. He gracefully intertwines R&B chords with Deep House and adds a sprinkle of what it feels like to be in love for the first time. When the opportunity arose to connect with the Melbourne based artist, I had to take advantage of it.

2. How do you feel those traits come through in your music?
I think those three traits define the way I work on music and everything I do. I work hard and put 100 percent into every song. I hate doing anything that I don’t have some kind of passion for.

3. How did you get your start producing music. How long have you been doing it?
I basically started making hip-hop beats on my laptop during high school and posting them on myspace and tried to get myspace rappers to rap over them. From there I just kept experimenting with different sounds and genres. I’m working on my craft constantly. I’d say I’ve been working on music for about 7-8 years now in some way or another.

4. What was the process like working with New Haven?
It was super easy to be honest. I’ve known him for ages and we have really similar taste so whenever we work on something it usually ends up being good and we generally have a similar sense of direction for the song. With this song he had just sent me a bunch of vocal song ideas that he’d written, and when I heard Wings I loved it immediately.

5. What inspired your mixing of R&B and future bass?
I grew up listening to R&B music and have always loved the musicality, especially the chords and melodies. Electronic music is really exciting right now. I’m finding artists like Lido, Cashmere Cat and others who were combining R&B, Soul, Gospel chords with trap and future sounds really sparked it for me.

6. Who’s your favorite R&B artist?
At the moment, probably Gallant. He’s so dope and his voice is incredible. There’s a tonne of cool alternative R&B artists doing dope stuff too that I’m really digging.
7. Where/what is your dream performance venue?
Anywhere the crowd is digging the music to be honest. I don’t care where the performance is as long as I can connect with the audience.

8. What can fans be expecting from illstrtd in the upcoming months?
I’m working on another single at the moment, and have a bunch of remixes in the stash that I’ll start letting go of soon!